


Back at the SSR

by keysburg



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Bank Robbery, F/M, Gen, an agent's work is never done, canon violence, get that drink already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-19 10:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3607053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keysburg/pseuds/keysburg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy returns to work at the SSR and Daniel finally gets to take her for a drink.  But their date is interrupted...</p><p>(aka what should have happened after S1 if they weren't both idiots)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back at the SSR

It was a month before Peggy returned to the SSR. Daniel tried not to count the days, but every day he was on duty he limped into the office and had to look at her desk, behind his, still empty. He caught night duty three times during that month and during each one he spent some time dusting her desk and picturing her sitting in her chair again.

And then, thirty-two days after she had left the SSR office, she walked back in on Monday, June 10th like she belonged there. Which she did. For Daniel it was like the bottom dropped out of the world as she walked into the bullpen. His mouth went dry. Fortunately, he was not the only one staring as everyone stopped to watch and then greet her. Of course his phone would ring right then, although he smiled at her as she went by his desk, and she returned his grin.

He found out at lunch that Thompson had known she would be returning for almost an entire week. Thompson was still their acting Chief, with his confirmation hearings yet to be concluded. He heard it from Feeny, the young eager agent who had replaced the deceased Agent Yauch. Feeny was doing lunch orders again, and couldn’t wait to tell Daniel - to tell everyone - what he had heard when he went in the chief’s office when Peggy was in there. That kid wasn’t going to make much of a spy if he didn’t learn to keep his trap shut.

Daniel ended up in the file room before she came back out so he didn’t actually get to speak to her until after 3 PM. She was at her desk, working at what looked like a codebreaking assignment, but she looked up and smiled as he got to his desk. He took that as his cue, and kept moving until he was in front of her.

“Great to see you back again, Peggy.”

“Its good to see you too, Daniel. I trust things weren’t too boring around here in my absence.”

“Well, they weren’t Leviathan-level, but we did have a pretty interesting couple of cases. I got to interrogate some suspected counterfeiters, at least until those Secret Service goons came in.”

“That’s business as usual. I heard you’ve been breaking in the new guy too. Feeny?”

Daniel grimaced. “I’ve been trying. He was too young to see much action in the war, you know. Still thinks this job is all running around with guns and doesn’t appreciate how powerful the correct information can be. Or that its worth the effort it takes to get it.”

“That explains his behavior. He went so slack-jawed staring at me I thought he was going to drool all over his shiny shoes. Ah. I didn’t expect that we’d be the old battle-axes so soon, groaning over the kids.” Peggy said, rolling her eyes.

Daniel found himself speechless at this. He wanted to ask Peggy if she would take him up on the offer of a drink again, but mentioning Feeny’s reaction to her, it didn’t seem appropriate just then. So he gave a bob of his head, and half smile, and started to turn back to his desk.

“Oh Daniel?” Peggy’s voice had dropped a little lower, and Daniel swung back around to face her. “My eyes have just about gone crossed staring at this code. What do you say we duck out of here a bit early and get that drink you mentioned before?” Daniel eyed the clock. 3:38. 

“I have one more thing I have to take care of before I leave. Wanna go at 4?” he asked, smiling at her. She grinned broadly at him and nodded.

At 4 PM, they both got up from their desks and collected their things without speaking. Daniel followed her to the lift. When the doors closed, he finally turned to look at her and found her looking at him, lips quirked amusedly.

“I hope we’re not going to that dive Thompson and the boys took me to after Russia.” she said. “I’m pretty sure they chose the worst place in six square blocks just to see how I’d react. Like I hadn’t been to a dozen worse joints during the war.” Daniel wasn’t really sure what to make of this. Did she not want to be seen with him or did she just not want to be interrupted by a coworker?

“Not to worry, Peggy. Thompson and I don’t exactly frequent the same establishments.” Outside they caught a cab 10 blocks to a small pub where Daniel often had dinner. It was about halfway between the office and his apartment building, at a distance he could cover even on his crutch and prosthetic. He thought it might suit Peggy well, being a small place that served beer and food and was vaguely similar to English pubs. He caught her little smile as she appraised the place and then again when she scanned the menu.

They sat at his usual table in the window, and ordered drinks. Peggy got her usual, an Axle Grease bourbon, neat. Daniel was in a festive mood so he skipped his usual beer for a gimlet.

“To liberty.” Peggy said, and they clinked glasses. They drank, sat their glasses down, and regarded each other.

“So.” Daniel said. “Exactly how bored were you for the last month?”

“Oh God.” Laughter burbled out of Peggy. “Terribly bored. I’m afraid I quite drove Mr. Jarvis insane, rearranging the furniture in Howard’s apartment.” Daniel stiffened at this. He had been sure Peggy had too much good sense to get involved with Howard Stark that way.

“Howard’s apartment?” Daniel struggled to keep his voice neutral.

“Oh yes. Since your fine police work got me kicked out of The Griffith…” At this Peggy shot him a quick grin, to let him know she was teasing. “Howard made one of his New York residences available to me. He’s been in DC, of course, lobbying to get his inventions back. I’ve been living there with Angie. You know Angie, I believe. She distracted you and Thompson by crying about her grandmother while you were supposed to be searching The Griffith for me?’” She smile broadly at him then, unable to keep the expression from her face. “You boys will really have to learn not to be distracted so easily by feminine tactics in the future. Its likely that more of those Russian female assassins are out there.”

Daniel sputtered on his gin. “And what were you doing, hiding under the bed?”

“Oh, no, I was out on the ledge of the building. Outside the window.”

“Good God, Peg, you lived on the third floor! You could have fallen to your death!” Daniel felt a little nauseous at the thought. What would it have been like to find her splattered on the sidewalk? How would they have foiled the Leviathan plot to unleash Item 17 without her? He pushed those morbid thoughts away. The war had made it all too easy to imagine the worst… but it was getting easier to focus on the positive now. He was here, alive, and having a drink… with Peggy.

She had lost her teasing attitude, watching him grow serious. She shrugged. “We all did what we thought was right that day. I was probably a little too focused on what I was trying to accomplish. Escape the SSR dragnet, then find the female Leviathan agent. I had an alias… I suppose I can get just a little too focused on the job.”

“We all can.” he said seriously. “Like when I tried to arrest you. I would have been better off offering to help you.”

“Ah, well.” she smiled at him again. “It all worked out in the end. And next time you’ll know better. So, how much of prig has Thompson been to work for? To hear him in the office today, leadership has been quite the burden on him.”

“Well, he doesn’t act like it. He acts like its his due. Two weeks ago he had Ramirez and I…” Daniel launched into a tale of Thompson’s recent pigheadedness, hoping to make Peggy laugh. She listened, intently at first, until something caught her eye out the window. Her attention flickered back to him, but then back out the window.

“Daniel.” she interrupted him, her voice was low. “Look at the car across the street. Parked in front of a bank. And the three men in black just getting out of it.” He looked and just caught three men, dressed suspiciously similar, walk into the bank and simultaneously pull weapons. A fourth man remained in the car.

“A bank robbery. Let’s go.” Daniel went over to the bar and flashed his shield at the bartender. “Call the cops, Barney. Tell them there is a bank heist going down across the street. Please make sure you tell them two Federal agents are at the scene and not to shoot us, okay?” When he started reaching for the phone, Daniel hurried out to the sidewalk to catch up with Peggy. She was waiting for traffic to clear, and at his signal when they crossed the street, she went around the back of the car while he walked up to the window, drawing his revolver.

“Show me your hands, slowly.” Daniel said to the wheelman, as he approached. The windows were down on the get away car, and he spoke with authority even as he leaned into his crutch every other step.

“What?” said the Joe at the wheel. “I haven’t done nothing. What’dya want?” Peggy used his distraction as an opportunity to slide into the passenger seat next to him, her own weapon drawn. 

“Just put your hands on the steering wheel.” Daniel said. When he complied, he holstered his weapon and handcuffed the Joe to his steering wheel. Peggy removed the keys from the ignition while keeping her weapon on him.

“Tell us what the plan is for the bank robbery.” Peggy said. “Three guys. One door man and two to collect the money? Are you guys going for drawers or the vault?” The Joe goggled at her and her gun.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, lady. What bank robbery?” Peggy met Daniel’s eyes, and he winced. Then, before he could move away, Peggy brought the elbow of her free arm up, into the Joe’s jaw, and slammed his head back against the frame of the car door. He caught the metal of the door right at the edge of his eye socket and the skin split, splattering blood. The Joe started to yell and Peggy clapped her hand over his mouth to muffle his protests.

“Jeez, Peg.” Daniel said. “You got blood all over my sweatervest.”

“My apologies. We’ll get some salt on that right away. After this gentleman tells us about the heist.” She removed her hand from his mouth now that the Joe had start to whimper rather than yell. She took his chin in her hand and turned his face to hers, and arched her brow at him. Her expression promised more violence.

“Yeah, three guys! One doorman! The other two were going to the vault, they were going to make the manager unlock it. The manager is always around at the end of the day to lock up.” Peggy produced a handkerchief from somewhere and gagged the Joe. She got out of the car as Daniel moved around to the sidewalk in front of the bank.

“I’m going to stride in past the doorman like I’m in a hurry.” Peggy said. “You follow behind and take him out when I distract him.”

“I don’t like it, Peg.” Daniel said. “You’re not wearing a vest or anything. What if he shoots you?” Peggy smiled at him, replacing her weapon in the holster at the small of her back. She ran her fingers through her curls and re-tucked her shirt into her skirt.

“Who would shoot a girl like me?” she asked, and then she was moving. Daniel waited, and then followed. It worked pretty well, actually. She got passed the door man and he started yelling at her. Then he was so busy trying to sneak a peek down Peggy’s blouse as she slowly knelt at his orders, that he didn’t even hear Daniel come in. It was satisfying to crack him upside the head with his crutch. Peggy rushed over and they stripped his shirt off him and used its sleeves to tie his hands behind his back. There were about six people in the lobby of the bank, and with a finger to her lips Peggy started waving them out the door quietly. Daniel spoke under his breath to a bank teller.

“We are Federal agents. The police are on their way. Please wait outside, not in front of a window, and tell them we are in here. Give them our descriptions. And tell me where the vault is.” She pointed, wordlessly, and scooted out the door.

“The hall to the vault is generally narrow.” he said to Peggy. “We should wait on either side of the entrance for them to leave, and then its a fair fight.”

“The manager might get killed if we wait. And they will probably be busy packing cash away.” said Peggy.

“That’s true. But neither of us have vests, and they both have weapons. I don’t know that we can both get to them before they get their weapons up. And its more likely they will keep the manager as a hostage.” He watched Peggy think it over, and then she nodded. They both moved as quietly as possible to the hall leading to the vault. Taking out her compact, Peggy used the mirror to look around the corner and check on their activity. All Daniel could hear was the occasional soft shushing sound, probably money going into a bag. He watched Peggy, her attention focused on the mirror. She was amazing. She was brave and resourceful and clever. He was lucky to know her, work with her. 

He had just begun to wonder what would have happened this evening if they hadn’t been interrupted when Peggy saw her opportunity and cross the hall as quickly as possible. Daniel pushed aside his daydreams and focused on her face. She continued to watch in the mirror. Several tense minutes passed and then finally, FINALLY, they heard police sirens. Peggy straightened up, placed her compact inside her jacket, and looked at Daniel. They were moving back down the hall…

The bank manager passed them first, his eyes widening at Peggy standing pressed against the wall with her weapon. He hesitated, only to get a shotgun jabbed into his shoulder. He kept going. Daniel brought his crutch up and then down, across his body, catching the weapon of the robber nearest to him. Before the robber could react, Daniel had his revolver pressed into his side. 

“Get on your knees!” he shouted, and the man was so startled he crumpled right away. Daniel went down with him, kneeling on his good leg and keeping the revolver in his side. It was a good thing it went that way because the second robber turned at his voice and aimed his weapon at Daniel. Peggy grabbed the man’s weapon arm and pulled it up as he pulled the trigger, the shot going harmlessly into the moulding over Daniel’s head. At the same time she aimed a kick at the back of the knee on the opposite side from his firearm. The shoulder on that side had a heavy bag of cash hung on it, and the weight and the kick forced his leg out under him. She rode him to the ground, knocking his revolver away and twisting his weapon arm around his back with her left hand. Her skirt rode up a bit as she put her left knee right into the small of his back and used her right leg to pin his legs to the floor. She holstered her weapon then and used her right hand to slam the robber’s head against the ground. He groaned and lay still. Peggy knelt on the man and looked up at the manager.

“If you could be so kind to show the arriving officers in, we’d sure appreciate it.” The bank manager looked stunned but he blinked at her and then turned and ran for the door.

It was pretty straightforward after that. The cops came in and put the bad men in handcuffs. They gave their statements to officers separately. Daniel could see Peggy on the other side of the bank, speaking calmly to the detective who was questioning her. He looked pretty befuddled, honestly, but after looking at her shield thoroughly and conferring with the detective Daniel spoke with, they seemed to accept her account. Which was good, because Daniel did not want to end this night by calling Thompson down there.

They met at the doors to the bank. Night had fallen while they were inside. Daniel tried to get the words out to ask her to eat dinner, back at the pub across the street. This should be easy, damn it. They had made it out for drinks. Drinks he still had to pay for, but still. All he had to do was open his mouth and say the words.

“Well, you sure do know how to show a girl a good time, Agent Sousa. I didn’t think my first day back with the SSR would be quite so exciting.” Peggy had that teasing smile on her face again. “Unfortunately, I have to get home before Angie sends out the National Guard for me. Its her night off and I was supposed to be home for dinner.” He looked back at her and he couldn’t help but smile. Their night might be over, but it was memorable for sure. It was his turn to tease her a little.

“Actually, I think this is on you,” he replied “Since you noticed the burglary about to take place. Maybe next time we can actually finish our drinks, if you can put your do-gooder instincts on hold for a bit.” He stepped off the curb and hailed an approaching cab for her. It pulled up next to him and he opened the door. She stood for a moment, searching his face.

“I think you could hold my attention next time, if you put your mind to it. ” she said. Before he could reply, she had stepped up to him and pressed her lips against his. They were warm and soft and it was all too brief before she was tucking herself into the cab. “Goodnight, Daniel.” she said, her voice husky.

“See you tomorrow, Peggy.” he said, and closed the door to the cab. He watched the car pull away and move down the street for bit. Next time. They were going to have a next time. He didn’t even care about the ribbing the men at the office were going to give him when they heard about the bank robbery. And how he and Peggy had been together at the right time to foil it. Right now, though, he was going to pay for their unfinished drinks, and have something to eat himself. He deserved it.


End file.
